After collecting the 218 congressional
signatures necessary to override the schedule set by House leaders,
a bill to increase campaign finance regulation (called the "Shays/Meehan
bill") is set for a February 13 vote. The proposed regulation
would ban non-candidate "soft money" donations to political
parties and curtail independent political advertising just before
elections.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert compared
the enactment of new campaign regulations to "Armageddon."
Through a spokesman, Hastert said they would shift political power
to "special interest groups - big labor [and] environmental
groups." Possible Republican strategies may include an array
of amendments to make the bill more acceptable or a complete replacement
with language focusing on greater disclosure rules rather than
fundraising prohibitions. Significant amendment or replacement
of the existing Shays-Meehan bill could potentially cause enough
conflict with the Senate version that a compromise never makes
it out of the House-Senate conference committee for the President
to sign.

As proposed, the Shays-Meehan regulations
would take effect 30 days after becoming law. This poses a problem
for Democrats who support the bill. Representative Tom Davis (R-VA),
chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, boasted:
"We want it this year - we're ready for it this year, the
Democrats aren't. We have the hard dollars on hand, the Democrats
don't." Uneasy Democrats are expected to try to push back
enforcement until 2003.

Judge Overturns Bush Order
on Worker Protections

An executive order requiring federal contractors
to inform their employees of their right not to join a labor union
or pay union dues for political activities was struck down by
a federal judge.

Judge Henry H. Kennedy of the U.S. District
Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling on January
2 that struck down Executive Order 13201, which was issued by
President George W. Bush on February 17, 2001. It went into effect
on April 18, 2001. Within two weeks, three unions filed a lawsuit
to block the order. EO 13201 was similar to an order issued by
President George H.W. Bush in late 1992 and repealed by President
Bill Clinton in early 1993.

When enforced, EO 13201 required federal
contractors to inform their employees of their rights under the
U.S. Supreme Court's 1988 decision in Communications Workers of
America v. Beck. The Beck decision ruled that workers choosing
not to join a union cannot be required to pay dues for expenses
not related to collective bargaining, contract arbitration and
grievance adjustment. The decision also established that workers
objecting to having a portion of their dues spent on political
action could request and recieve a refund. Under EO 13201, federal
contractors not in compliance with the order faced the cancellation
of federal contracts and prohibition from future contracts.

In his decision, Judge Kennedy said EO
13201 is invalid because it is overridden by the National Labor
Relations Act. A Labor Department spokesman told the Daily Labor
Report: "We're disappointed, but we will appeal the ruling
on behalf of workers who deserve to be informed of their rights."

Campaign Finance
Factoids

Washington Union Begins Issuing
Political Refunds

In late January, the Washington Education
Association (WEA) began sending $50 checks to approximately 4,000
non-union teachers in the state who are required to pay union
"agency fees." In August of 2001, a state judge found
the union guilty of violating a "paycheck protection"
law protecting teachers from having mandatory fees spent on politics
without their approval. Bob Williams, the president of the Evergreen
Freedom Foundation - which filed suit against the WEA over this
practice - said, "Teachers can't be forced to make political
contributions against their will."

Common Cause Violates Laws It Promotes

Do as I say and not as I do. Common Cause/New
York lobbyist Rachel Leon recently failed to file a registration
report with state authorities as required by state law. The report,
detailing an organization's lobbying expenses, is the kind of
provision normally supported by Common Cause. The report was
eventually filed, 191 days late. The group's $1,000 fine was
its second such offense in two years.

Secrets of the Oklahoma Right-To-Work Victory

Oklahomans passed a right-to-work referendum
giving workers the choice to not join a labor union last September
despite being outspent two-to-one by union opposition. How? Connie
Marshner of the Free Congress Foundation says that it was "freedom,
grassroots coalitions and personal contact with the voters."
After losing legislatively 15 times since 1964, the campaign
effectively took the issue to the citizens and received the support
of national pro-freedom organizations with a presence in Oklahoma.

Political Money Monitor
is published by The National Center for Public Policy Research
to provide information on campaign finance and political choice
issues. Coverage of an event or article in Political Money Monitor
does not imply endorsement by The National Center for Public Policy
Research. Copyright 2001 The National Center for Public Policy
Research. Reprints of articles in Political Money Monitor are
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